The End
by MaryShelley1979
Summary: This is an odd one- written for a fanfic panel on the subject 'a character dies, then is found to not be really dead'. My sketchy idea: Batou 'dies' in an explosion, but it is a scheme cooked up by Aramaki so he can do some top-secret something-or-other!
1. Chapter 1

It was even later than usual when Togusa got home, well after midnight. His wife was still up, giving the baby his middle-of-the-night bottle. She made to stand up when he came in, but he wearily waved her back down. "You're still dressed. Have you been up all this time?"

"You sounded so upset on the phone." She set the empty bottle on the floor and lay the baby over her shoulder, patting his narrow back. "What happened today?"

"One of my co-workers died...was killed." His throat felt swollen. "Sorry I'm late."

His wife's mouth dropped open. "Oh, baby. No wonder you look so ragged. Sit down. What can I do?"

"Nothing, sweetheart. Thank you." He blinked at his son, now happily sleeping in his wife's arms. "It was...it was just...this morning..."

She said nothing, waiting for him to to speak.

"It was my supervisor, this morning. There was an explosion. They couldn't make a positive identification until tonight. No one really wanted to leave until we...knew for sure."

"Of course not. Isn't your supervisor the big guy, the cyborg?"

"Yeah. The redcoats- I mean the coroner said his braincase was destroyed. There's really no other way to kill a full-body. His luck just ran out." Togusa sat heavily on the couch.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I know he was your friend." His wife sank down beside him, resting the baby's head against her chest. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

"No, nothing." Togusa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. His voice was muffled. "It's just..." Suddenly the sob that had been sitting his throat all day broke loose. He cried harshly, silently. His wife shifted their son to her other arm and rested her hand on his back, stroking gently, as if he was one of the children.

He had no idea how long it was before the tears ran out; it must have been a long time before he sat up and wiped his eyes. His shoulders sagged with exhaustion. His chest felt hollowed out, his eyes burned. His wife still sat beside him. When he straightened up she took his arm and tugged him back down, so his head rested on her unoccupied shoulder. The baby was turned toward him. Togusa reached up to touch their son's impossibly soft cheek. "He's so innocent."

She smiled a little. "Yeah."

"It's a shame he's going to have to grow up, you know?"

"Not if he grows up to be a good man like his daddy." His wife ruffled his hair. "Do you think you can sleep?"

Togusa sighed. "Maybe. It's been a really long day." He hesitated. "But do you mind if we stay here a few minutes longer?"

"No, baby." She said softly. Her heart beat in his ear, strong and rhythmic. "I don't mind at all."


	2. Chapter 2

The day after the day after. She stood in front of the desk, not leaning on it as she usually did. "Look everyone, something bad happened. We all know it. We dealt with it. Now we get back to work."

Paz started up from his chair. "You heartless bitch!" he snarled. "How can you just stand there and act like everything's fine?"

Togusa glanced uneasily at the Major's stony face. "Paz..."

"He was crazy about you, goddammit! And you just-"

"Paz!" Ishikawa barked. He grabbed the other man's shoulder and propelled him toward the door. "_Out."_

Paz yanked his arm from Ishiakwa's grip. Without a backward glance he stormed out. Everyone remained where they were, trying not to look at the Major.

"Go home," she said finally, in the same icy tone she'd been using since _it _happened. "All of you. We'll get back to work tomorrow."

They fled, following Paz into the corridor. Only Ishikawa lingered. "How you doing, Major?"

She looked at him, something waking in her eyes, as if he was the first thing she'd really seen in nearly two days. Absently she raised one hand, rubbing her temple. "What am I going to do, Ishikawa?"

Her voice trembled; a tiny bit, almost unnoticeable. But it was more fear than she'd ever displayed in all the years he'd known her. Ishikawa sighed. _Poor girl, _he thought, and almost laughed at the incongruity of it. "Same thing you just told the guys, Major. Keep doing what we do. Batou wouldn't want it any other way."

She flinched at the name. "Yeah."

He wanted to say more, needed to, but Paz had already done that/ Shaking his head in frustration, he left her.


	3. Chapter 3

Togusa caught up with Paz in the elevator to the parking garage. Paz's perpetual smirk looked strained, his eyes slightly glazed. Togusa pressed the button and leaned against the wall. "Are you all right, man?"

"Is she pissed?"

"No. Well, maybe. It's hard to tell, you know her." Togusa tilted his head back wearily. "You know this has torn her up more than any of us. It has to be like losing a limb, they were so connected. She just...can't show it."

"I know. It's frustrating, is all." Paz stared over Togusa's shoulder. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

"What wasn't supposed to happen this way?"

"Them. We would have to be deaf, blind and stupid not to see how nuts he was for her. And she was supposed to notice too, someday. I mean, who else is there for her? Or for him? _Someone_ in Section 9 should get a happy ending, at least."

"Aw, Paz." Togusa couldn't keep from smiling. "You're a romantic."

"Shut up."

"I know what you mean, though. I think we all thought the same thing. We were all rooting for them, secretly."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus." Paz shook his head wryly. "What a bunch of idiots we are."


	4. Chapter 4

Two days. Two days since Batou had vanished, cut off between one word and next. It was ironic, really. No one could hide from the Major. Firewalls, disguises, labyrinths...all were useless once she decided to ferret someone out. Yet Batou had gone to the one place where she couldn't find him.

Paz hadn't surprised her. She knew, she'd always known. And yet Batou had still abandoned her. No, that wasn't fair. She had to be angry at someone. Not Batou, it wasn't his fault if his luck had failed him.

She opened the door to her apartment. It breathed emptiness at her, as it always did. But for once the silence wasn't welcoming. It yawned at her, lost and alone. She hesitated a moment, her hand trembling on the door. Then she sighed and went in. It wasn't as if she had anywhere else to go.

Two impossibly long days. She hadn't slept at all since the explosion. She had to, tonight. Shut herself down if she couldn't fall asleep. Because Batou wasn't the only one; she was responsible for her men, all of them. They needed her. Tomorrow morning they'd all be back at work, doing what Section 9 did best. And she'd be their leader, big sister, whatever she was to them.

But tomorrow morning seemed very far away. All the hours of the night stretched before her, stirring the dust in the corners of her apartment, flashing brief reflections in the windows. A shower was in order, then bed.

The cascade of warm water felt heavenly on her tense muscles. She tilted her head back and let it flow over her face. Her jaw felt tight; she opened her mouth, only then realizing she'd been gritting her teeth. For how long?

The tears were a shock. They burst from her as suddenly as lava from a volcano, forced upward for ages before the explosion of fire. Her eyes burned, and an instant later a sob tore itself loose from her chest. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Her entire body shook with weeping, until she gasped for air between sobs, until her chest ached and her throat felt raw. She hadn't cried in a very long time. It surprised her, to find she remembered how. When it was over she stood in the spray, hugging herself, shivering even though the water was still hot.


	5. Chapter 5

The first surprising thing was the laughter. It echoed down the hall and invaded her office through the cracked door. Laughter was always in short supply at Section 9, and it had been completely absent since Batou's death four days before. Who was it? She listened, but couldn't tell. Anger flared in her, but she tamped it down. She couldn't deny the men whatever joke was bringing them a moment of humor.

Togusa abruptly appeared in her office door, grinning broadly. "Major! You won't believe it. Come on, look!"

She rose and strode to the door. Togusa stepped aside. He was standing on the balls of his feet, almost bouncing with glee. Ishikawa and Saito were in the corridor, shoulder to shoulder, but even their combined bulk couldn't hide the man who towered above them both. Her breath caught in her throat; if

she'd had a heart it would have stuttered in her chest. It could have been anyone, her mind insisted; prosthetic bodies were hardly unique. But when he raised his head and smiled that familiar, feral smile, she knew it was him.

"Hey Major,", he said jovially. "Nice to see you."

"What the hell were you doing?" Each word was clipped, bitten off in anger.

"Sorry about that. The Chief needed me to be dead for a while, top-secret stuff. He said I couldn't even tell you. He can explain everything, if you want to ask." He shrugged.

"I thought you were dead for three days."

"Well," He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess that makes us even, then."

She moved too quickly for anyone to see it coming. Her fist caught Batou squarely on the jaw, so hard his head snapped to one side. She paused, her clenched hand still half-raised. He raised his head, stretched his neck with an audible crack, and rubbed his face.

"Missed you too, Major," he drawled. The corners of his eyes crinkled as if he was amused, but he stood tensely, expecting another blow.

She didn't give it to him. "Togusa's wife called me. She wanted to know if there would be a memorial. She wanted to bring the kids. Because she respected you so much."

She turned on her heel and stalked away, down the hall. To Aramaki's office. She opened it without knocking and strode inside.

The four men waited. No shouting, no screaming, no crashes as things were thrown around the room. Somehow the quiet was worse.

Batou cleared his throat. "So, boys. Which one of you cried the hardest when you thought I was dead?"

"Togusa," Ishikawa and Saito chorused. Togusa shook his head.

"Shut up," he grinned. "But," he added, in a voice just low enough for Batou alone to hear. "You know it was _her."_

Batou rubbed the fading red mark on his jaw. "No," he murmured thoughtfully. "I didn't know."


	6. Chapter 6

The light that managed to seep through the tinted window was yellow bleeding into orange, a warm, embracing evening light. It was time to leave; Batou's miraculous return had destroyed any possibility of anyone doing something useful. She shoved her chair away from her desk, letting it bang into the wall. She made it nearly to the door when Batou's head appeared around the frame, as if ready to duck away at the first sign of danger. "Hey, Major. Do you need me for anything? I'm beat."

"No. I don't need you." Irritation made her cross her arms protectively over her chest.

"Cool. Hey..." He hesitated. "Are you still mad?" 

"No." She was surprised to find that she wasn't. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay. 'night." He vanished from the frame. The corridor floor creaked painfully under his footsteps.

Before she could bite her tongue she said, "Batou."

The creaking eased. He peered back around the door. "Yeah?"

"If you and the Chief ever pull some shit like that again, I really will kill you both. I don't like being out of the loop concerning my own team."

He saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Just before he ducked away again, she added, "Hey."

"What?"

She tilted her head, stared at the blank ceiling. "Don't die on me for real either, okay?"

A tiny movement quirked the corner of his mouth. "I'll do my best."

The Major looked at him then, allowing a weary smile to crease her face. He grinned back, and was gone. She could hear the floor complaining under his weight all the way to the elevators.


End file.
